Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has criticised Senate President Godswill Akpabio for what he called a deliberate attempt to politicise and trivialise the serious concerns Nigerians have expressed about due process in the Red Chamber of the National Assembly.

Saraki’s reaction followed Akpabio’s claim that recent calls for accountability over the allegations Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan leveled against him were part of a plot to remove him from office because he is from the Niger Delta.

In a statement yesterday by his media office and shared on his X handle, Saraki said: “The attention of the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office has been drawn to the statement made by Senate President Godswill Akpabio while addressing the leaders of some ‘youth ethnic groups’ on Friday that certain individuals from Kwara and Adamawa states want him removed because he is from the Niger Delta region.”

Saraki emphasised that at no point did he call for Akpabio’s resignation but only advised that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations be thoroughly investigated in a manner that would ensure transparency and protect the integrity of the Senate.

“Dr. Saraki, in his last comment on the Akpabio-Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan crisis, never called on the Senate President to resign or step aside. Rather, he urged the Senate President to be conscious of the fact that perception is a reality and, therefore, he should avoid treating the allegations by the (Kogi Central) senator in a manner that will create the perception that the Senate as an institution is trying to cover up issues bordering on sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and abuse of office,” the statement said.

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The former Senate President explained that his stance on the matter was rooted in the importance of safeguarding the credibility of the legislative institution, not personal or political rivalry.

“This issue is definitely not one in which Akpabio should exploit ethnic sentiments, political division, or regional proclivity. This will neither be in his own interest nor that of the institution over which he is presiding. He should face the reality on ground and do what is right,” Saraki said.

He said Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations touched on issues that resonate deeply with women across the country, making it imperative that they be handled with utmost seriousness.

“The former Senate President believes that when a sensitive matter suggesting sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and mistreatment of women comes up anywhere, it evokes the pains that thousands of women across the nooks and crannies of our society experience daily.

“Thus, when it is raised in a place like the legislative institution, it is an opportunity for us to handle it with utmost openness and transparency to ensure that justice is not only done but glaringly seen to be done,” the statement added.